Iraq's election games

AS THE United States heads for the door after seven years of war in Iraq, politicans in that country may be running a game on America that they must not win.

The March 7 general elections in Iraq were not the model of democracy that the Bush administration told Americans the war would establish there. But they weren't bad.

The most obvious flaw was the action by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to disqualify more than 500 opposition candidates because of their supposed cooperation with the Baath Party of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Mr. Maliki's party finished second to a coalition of parties led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Then began the process that should result in the formation of a coalition government.

That has nothing to do with the United States as long as President Obama does not veer from his schedule for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, which stand at 95,000.

That number is to be cut by Aug. 31 to 50,000 noncombat troops to train Iraqi security forces, with the rest withdrawn by the end of next year.

Hints by U.S. military leaders suggest the withdrawal might be delayed if Iraqis don't assemble a credible government soon. But that plays right into the hands of Iraqi political and business interests that want U.S. funds - about $2 billion a month - to continue to flow there. Mr. Maliki and others also want to maintain the protective American shield around themselves and their government.

America's interest is to withdraw according to schedule. There is no good reason to divert from that plan.

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